


there's no place i'd rather be, without you beside me

by ircnshield



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Fluff, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pet Adoption, Slight use of homophobic language, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, The Avengers Are Good Bros, not from Steve or Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24871435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ircnshield/pseuds/ircnshield
Summary: “I don’t think he wants you to leave,” Natasha jokes from the couch.“Yeah, no kidding,” Tony says as he bends down to scratch behind the dog's ear. “Look, buddy, I’ll give you a treat if you stop looking at me like that and let me go down to my lab.”Dodger, seemingly unimpressed, walks closer towards Tony’s shoes, turns his body around, and simply drops his body on top of them.-For the Stony Loves Steve 2020 Gift Exchange.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 39
Kudos: 311
Collections: Stony Loves Steve 2020





	there's no place i'd rather be, without you beside me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starkboi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkboi/gifts).



> I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as I had a blast writing it and reaching my own personal goals with this. Thank you for this opportunity.
> 
> Also, I'd love to thank [Han](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stevesnarkrogers/pseuds/stevesnarkrogers) for being the most amazing beta and cheer-reader, and staying up until after hours with me. I couldn't have done this without you! <3

Steve is drowning.

There’s a muted cacophony of sounds surrounding him as he sinks down to the floor of the ocean, water rushing through his lungs. He’s disoriented with no clue which direction the surface is. He closes his eyes, waiting for the end of it all. It’s cold and he loses his grip on his vibranium shield, feels it slip through his fingers as the current sweeps it away from him.

There’s no one coming to save him.

No one will find him this time.

“-ptain Rogers.”

He’s alone.

“Captain Rogers!”

Steve wakes with a loud gasp, as if desperately trying to replace the phantom feeling of having water-filled lungs. His hair is matted, stuck to his forehead, and his sleepshirt is coated in a thin layer of cold sweat clinging to his skin. He takes a few breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart and starts to take in his surroundings.

“Captain Rogers, I sensed that you were experiencing a night terror and tried to awaken you, as you requested.”

He’s safe in his bedroom in the tower, then. “JARVIS, thank you,” he says as he makes a move to get up from the bed. “What time is it?”

“It is now 5:45 in the morning, sir.” A beat. “Shall I inform Mr. Stark about—”

“No, it’s okay, JARVIS. I just need to go out for a run,” he says in a rush. He changes into some sweats and a t-shirt. He needs to clear his head and he doesn’t need to unload his nightmares onto Tony Stark.

“Very well, Captain Rogers.”

Steve sighs. He finishes tying up his running shoes, grabs his drawstring bag and StarkPhone, and makes his way out of the bedroom door. He goes down to the communal kitchen to get something in his stomach before his run. It feels like one of those days where he might be running longer than usual.

It’s quiet on the common floor since no one was awake yet. He brews a pot of coffee as he makes himself a breakfast sandwich. As the coffee finishes brewing, Steve grabs a travel mug from one of the cupboards and prepares the coffee to his liking, leaving half of the pot full, and wraps his breakfast sandwich up to take with him. He grabs a few protein bars and stuffs them in his bag on his way out to the elevator.

Once the elevator reaches the communal floor he startles slightly at the sight of Tony inside it, tapping away on his phone. Steve clears his throat since Tony hasn’t made a move to leave the elevator. This seems to bring the brunette back to earth as he sharply glances up into Steve’s direction.

“Oh, hey, Cap. Good—” Tony blinks. “Hey, JARVIS? What time is it?

“It is currently six in the morning, sir.”

“Oh. I thought it was like, still nighttime,” he says yawning and rubbing at one of his eyes. “Well, morning Cap.”

“Tony, when was the last time you went to bed?” Steve asks, trying to mask the accusatory tone of his voice.

“Geez, I don’t know... a night ago? I was working on gear modifications for the team, okay?” he says, defensively.

“Actually, sir, it's been 48 hours since you’ve gotten a full night’s rest,” JARVIS pipes up.

“You’re really not helping here, JARVIS,” Tony grumbles.

“My apologies, sir,” JARVIS doesn’t sound sorry at all.

Steve sighs, “Tony, you need to start taking better care of yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he waves him off and steps out of the elevator. He looks towards the direction of the kitchen. “Did you just make fresh coffee? You never make coffee.”

“That’s because by the time I normally wake up it’s already brewed,” He says pointedly.

Tony simply stares in response.

“Okay. Yes, there’s about half a pot left. But Tony, you should really go to bed.”

“No way. But thanks for the coffee, Cap! You’re a lifesaver,” he says as he makes his way down the hall. He stops for a moment and turns back around to face Steve. “Hey, you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” He’s not but, again, Tony doesn’t need to be bothered with that.

Tony seems to be studying him closely, and he furrows his brows as he imploringly asks, “Are you sure?”

Steve has to look away from Tony’s wide brown eyes. He’s sure that Tony could see right through him right about now and tries to make a hasty retreat.

“I’m positive,” he says and adds a reassuring smile for good measure. “Anyway, I’m going to go for a run, I’ll be back later. Call me if you need me!” He turns to get into the elevator and doesn’t hesitate to press the ‘close door’ button just in case Tony tries to dig some more.

As the doors close, Steve can still see Tony watching him with an indiscernible expression on his face that almost looks like worry.

* * *

It takes Steve a little less than an hour to run the perimeter of Central Park four times.

So, he does it four more times.

On his ninth lap, he decides to enter the park through the Artist’s Gate and takes the dwindling path to The Pond. The city is fully awake now, and the pedestrians have started to crowd the perimeter along with tourists trying to set up carriage tours with the cabbies. While the park attracts guests year-round, it’s a summer weekend, which means more people than usual are milling through the park. Steve takes a more secluded route, bright green foliage surrounding him as he makes his way towards the scenic Gapstow Bridge. He stops there for a moment to take a break and leans against the railing as he looks down at the calming pond. He counts six ducklings swimming after their mother and listens to the birds chirp away; the loud bustling sounds of the city falling out of reality for just a moment. He closes his eyes as he relishes in this small moment of illusioned respite

“Hey! Get out of there, you mangy mutt!”

He hears a yelp and a splash.

Steve startles and puts himself on high alert. His eyes move rapidly across the pond to locate where the disturbance came from. They land on a figure splashing without control and desperation, whimpering sounds coming from it. It’s a dog and it can’t swim.

It’s going to drown.

As this realization hits him, Steve sprints from the bridge and makes his way down to the bank of the pond where a small group of people begin to gather. Not one other person made a move to help the struggling animal fighting for his life.

As he gets closer to the pond, he could hear someone shout, “Hey! Is that Captain America?!” And suddenly, a boom of loud chatter emerges and the snapping of cameras go off. From the corner of his eye, he can see that someone has taken out their phone to start recording. There’s no time, but he has the sudden urge to damage private property, take the cameras and cell phones, and crush them. He’s angry at these people who have decided to do nothing but watch.

He rushes into the pond with little regard for his clothes that are getting soaked. The water comes up to his waist as he waddles through it. He makes calming noises and murmurs reassuring words to the thrashing animal as he positions his arms under it to scoop it out of the water. The medium-sized dog, soaking wet with a matted mix of honey brown and white fur, makes a move to nearly climb over Steve but finds purchase within his arms. It’s trembling, but Steve runs a calming hand over its fur as he softly says, “It’s okay, buddy. I gotcha. It’s okay.”

That seems to settle the dog in his arms, and Steve turns around to make his way out of the pond. More people with cameras had arrived, and the crowd was bigger. Ignoring them, Steve settles the dog on the ground to see if it has a collar or any injuries. He doesn’t, but he makes a move to climb back up into Steve’s arms and attempts to lick his face. “Alright, buddy,” he says with a small smile.

Steve steals his expression and levels the crowd with a heavy stare.

“Does this dog belong to anyone?”

All chattering ceases and most of the people shake their heads ‘no’. From the corner of his eye, he sees a burly man in a groundskeeper uniform try to blend in with the crowd to make an exit. He narrows his eyes and projects his next words onto him.

“Sir!” Steve sees the man physically flinch before turning around. He gets closer to him and stares him down. “Would you happen to know what happened to this dog and if he has any owners?”

“N-no, Captain America, sir. No collar, no owners. He’s been loitering around the park for days now.” The man is visibly afraid as Steve towers over him, but he still manages to say all of that almost confidently.

“How did he fall into the water?” Steve glares. He knows this man is to blame.

“I… I was… That _mut_ ,” the man says snidely, giving up the act, “has been a nuisance around here! And I have been trying to get someone out here to get rid of him. He’s a danger to park guests and personnel!”

“He’s just a dog!” Steve scoffs, raising his voice. Suddenly, he feels the dog in his arms flinch, so Steve tries to calm himself down. The dog doesn’t need this on top of his trauma.

“Well, who knows how long he’s been out here or if he’s had his shots! He has no collar, which means no owners, and he needs to be taken to the dog pound!”

Steve seethes in anger. The crowd continues to look on and cameras are still flashing and recording. He knows he needs to reign it in, or it'll be an Avengers PR disaster with a headline more or less saying “Captain America’s Anger Management Problem?!”. He can already imagine the teasing jeers from his teammates. He’ll probably never hear the end of it from Tony, Clint, and Natasha. He might even get a call from SHIELD, and Nick Fury is the last person he’ll want to defend his actions to.

Even so, Steve takes a glance at the crowd calculatingly. He chooses his next words carefully as he regards the rude man.

“I know what you did,” he says coldly, lowering his voice and not breaking eye contact. “I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one.” He shifts his eyes towards the crowd. “All of these cameras and cell phones… we’re living in an age where information travels fast. I’m sure someone else here caught what you did, and it’ll be all over the internet in less than a minute.”

The man glowers.

“Are you threatening me, Captain?” He raises his voice so everyone could hear. “The honorable Captain America is threatening me for doing my job to keep the park safe for guests. I’d expect this from Tony fucking Stark since he’s an arrogant prick, but you?” He scoffs. “You’re not so honorable, are you? I thought you were a hero for the common people.”

“Well, I don’t stand for anyone that partakes in animal cruelty,” he sneers. “And Stark is one of the best men I know, so you’d do well to never speak of him like that again.” If it wasn’t for the dog in his arms, he’d have grabbed this man by the front of his shirt.

A disgusting grin appears on the groundskeeper’s face.

“Oh, did I hit a nerve?” He regards the crowd, “It looks like America’s golden boy is not only dishonorable but also a _faggot_!”

Steve feels his stomach drop. It wasn’t necessarily a secret that he liked both men and women. He had already come to terms with his sexuality a long time ago. He thought about the cold nights while stationed in France during the war, but it wasn’t something that he had ever talked about with anyone. Ever. He was glad that it was more acceptable now than it was back in the ’40s, but this man was a prime example of the homophobia that still existed even in these modern times, and it makes him livid. He can hear growling, but strangely it wasn’t coming from him. He feels it reverberate in his arms as he looks down at the soaking wet animal. The dog has become alert and barks, as if in warning, like he somehow understood how Steve was feeling at this exact moment.

“I mean, now it makes sense!” The man continues, “No wonder Pepper Potts broke up with Tony Stark months ago. Probably, caught them both—”

The man was cut off by gasps of surprise that got drowned out by the familiar sound of flight thrusters, followed by the loud clanking sound of the Iron Man suit landing a few feet behind him.

Steve watches in shock as Tony steps out of the armor, face twisted in a murderous glare as he walks towards the groundskeeper who continues to stand his ground, but is starting to look like he’d like to be anywhere but here.

“I hope you know,” Tony starts, “that it was a mutual break up, but that's beside the point. The CPP are on their way here to escort a former Central Park employee off the premises for kicking a defenseless dog into a pond, causing such a disturbance for park-goers, and the cherry on top, verbally harassing Captain America.”

“F-former?!” The man cries out just as two city cops make their way to detain him.

“Yeah, it looks like someone got it on video and sent it to your employers,” Tony shrugs nonchalantly. “I would also find a different place to go on your small-minded walks, because you’re banned from Central Park for, let me see here, life!”

“Fuck you, you rich asshole! You won’t get away with this! People will soon realize you’re all a bunch of —”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard worse. And I think that’s plenty of hate speech for one day,” Tony dismisses the insults and regards the crowd as the groundskeeper gets taken away, “Alright, people, the show’s over. Go do... whatever it was you all were doing.”

The crowd begins to disperse. A few stragglers were left over, watching from a distance. Steve pays them no mind as Tony finally looks at him and closes the short distance between them.

“Cap?” Tony asks.

“I’m fine,” he says. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, like you said, information travels fast,” Tony says, a corner of his mouth lifting into a slight smirk just as Steve begins to feel abashed now knowing that Tony must’ve seen the whole debacle. “How’s your new four-legged friend doing?”

Steve glances down at the dog in his arms, who in turn looks up at him with big brown eyes and attempts to lick his face again. He smiles, “I think he’s going to be okay. I’d like to take him to a vet, though.”

“Don’t worry about that. Called one on my way here. Should be up at the tower soon, actually.”

“Wait, really?” He asks in surprise.

“Yeah, I also ordered some dog supplies. The essentials, at least. I think… anyway, we should probably go over the stuff I ordered to see if we have ever—”

“Wait, Tony, hold on,” Steve says feeling overwhelmed.

“What?” Tony asks.

“We’re keeping him?” He asks, unsure of what to make of all of this.

“I—yeah, sure? I mean, if you want to,” he says sheepishly.

“I hadn’t considered that as an option,” he says as he looks down at the dog contemplatively. Maybe he would like to.

“Honestly? I think you should,” Tony says with a slight smile. “Anyway, you can think it over more on the way back to the tower, Happy’s waiting for us in the car.”

“Oh, okay,” He looks back at the armor. “Did you really have to take the suit to come here?”

“What? It was faster,” Tony grins as he takes out his StarkPhone. “JARVIS, send the suit back to the tower. Tell the vet we’ll be there shortly.”

The suit takes off into the sky and Tony motions to Steve, “Well, let's go Cap!”

* * *

The majority of the ride back to the tower was silent. Mostly because, within a few minutes, the dog curled up on Steve’s lap and fell asleep with his long, fluffy tail lying on Tony’s leg. There seemed to be a silent, mutual agreement that they should not wake the dog up. When they finally got to the tower Steve didn’t have the heart to move and disturb the dog, but he did while Tony shot him a sympathetic look.

Steve carried the dog through the elevators and up to the communal floor where, as Tony had said, a vet waited for their arrival with a steel medical grade table. The vet checked the dog over for any injuries but found none. She advised that he just needed food, water, rest, and some medication for fleas, ticks, and heartworm prevention as well as some additional vaccines just to be safe. Tony nods along as she explains all this to them, giving her the go-ahead to do what she needs to for the dog.

“I’m going to scan him for a microchip to see if we can find out who he belongs to,” She says.

“What happens if you can’t find out?” Steve asks.

“Well, we will take him to a shelter and hope someone adopts him. And honestly, who wouldn’t? He’ll get snagged up quick just with the publicity from today alone. Also, look at that cute face,” she coos as the dog wags his tail.

That… didn’t sit right with him. Objectively, he knows that it’s the best-case scenario for the dog to get adopted by a nice family that will love him and take care of him. And, Steve is very well aware that his life as an Avenger can get hectic, there really isn’t room for a pet in his life. He can’t quite reconcile that with the fact that deep down he thinks he wants to keep him.

“However, if we do find out who the owner is,” the vet continues as she pulls out the scanner, “the shelter won’t release the dog to them immediately. We have to find out why he’s been stranded in the park for so long.” She holds the device against the dog’s right side, and then to the left and mutters, “Damn.”

“Nothing?” Tony asks.

“Nothing,” she confirms and scratches behind the dog’s floppy, brown ears. “Sorry, buddy. But, maybe it’s a good thing.”

And Steve can’t help but feel somewhat relieved at hearing that. The dog won’t suffer the chance to go back to terrible owners who either left him at the park or weren’t actively looking for him. This dog deserves better, and so does _he_. This will be something new, right? Something that he wants just for himself, on his own terms since up until this point, after waking up from the ice, the future’s been forced onto him. He had always wanted a dog growing up, but he couldn’t have one because of money and his allergies which triggered terrible asthma attacks. But, neither one of those things were a problem for Steve anymore.

From the corner of his eye he sees Tony raising an eyebrow at him— _Your call._

“I could take him,” he says softly.

“Are you sure? Not that I’m doubting that you’ll take good care of him, but adopting a dog is a pretty big responsibility.”

“‘Responsible’ is his middle name. He’ll take good care of him,” Tony pipes up and Steve sends him a slightly exasperated look.

“Well, I just want to make sure you understand, Captain, that if the owner does turn up within the month and the shelter doesn’t find anything wrong when it investigates the circumstances behind this dog being at the park, you will have to surrender the dog to them.”

Steve frowns and moves closer to the dog to scratch behind his ears.

“What are the chances of that happening?” he asks.

“Well, considering that he doesn’t have a collar or a chip, probably very slim. That normally means that the previous owners just wanted to get rid of him.”

He’s positive now, he wants to keep him.

“Then, I’m sure. I want to adopt him.”

The vet nods and proceeds to hand him the adoption paperwork for him to sign.

“You’ll have to give him a name.”

“Oh… Uh…” Steve looks over at Tony for help, “What do you think?”

“Seriously? You don’t want me naming things, especially living, breathing, furry ones. I suck at naming things. I mean, look at U and DUM-E, they have to live with those names for the rest of their robot lives.”

“You’re being hard on yourself, they’re fitting names. JARVIS, too!” Steve laughs.

“Thank you, Captain,” JARVIS chimes in, almost smugly.

“Yeah, well…” Tony splutters, seemingly unable to take the compliment. “Cap seriously, it’s your call. Just don’t go around naming him after mythical gods or Thor will try to spar with him _in glorious battle_ or something.”

“Dodger, then.”

“Dodger. Really?”

“What’s wrong with Dodger?”

“Nothing… just, after your favorite baseball team?”

Tony snickers and Steve rolls his eyes.

“You said it was my call.”

“Ugh, fine.”

Steve nods at the vet in confirmation and looks down at the dog to smile at him.

“Welcome to your new home, Dodger.”

* * *

Tony had gone a bit overboard with the pet supplies. There were way too many toys and different kinds of dog food and treats, but Steve didn’t have the heart to say anything about it. So, he just thanked him, he was grateful for Tony’s enthusiasm. The rest of the Avengers took to the new addition at the tower very well. Thor, being the golden retriever of the bunch, was _enamored_ with Dodger. Bruce had a serene smile on his face as Dodger put his head on his lap so he could pet him. Clint fed him way too many treats. Even Natasha played a game of fetch with him.

“Y’know, when I saw ‘Captain America Rescues Dog’ trending on Twitter, I thought it was going to be cute or whatever, which it was by the way. Very wholesome. I just didn’t think it was going to result in you almost punching some guy if Tony hadn’t stepped in,” Natasha quips at him. “He would have deserved it.”

“Yeah, he would have, and I wouldn’t have regretted it.”

Natasha smirks, “Well, I’m glad you got a new friend out of this,” she says. “Oh, Tony? Pepper called me to tell you that you better stop avoiding her and call her back or else she’s coming by tomorrow. Something about the display at the park.”

Tony groans. “Yeah, that’s not going to be fun,” he grimaces. “Alright, well, can’t keep her waiting.”

The most curious thing for Steve to see was Dodger scramble off the couch, where he was receiving a petting session from Natasha, and sprint across the room to where Tony was waiting for the elevator. Steve watches as canine plants himself in front of the elevator doors as if trying to keep Tony from leaving. And from where Steve’s standing, the puppy dog eyes are murder.

“Uh...hey, Dodger. What’s going on, buddy?” Tony asks in confusion.

Dodger continues to stare up at Tony, even as the elevator doors open.

“I don’t think he wants you to leave,” Natasha jokes from the couch.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Tony says as he bends down to scratch behind the dog's ear. “Look, buddy, I’ll give you a treat if you stop looking at me like that and let me go down to my lab.”

Dodger, seemingly unimpressed, walks closer towards Tony’s shoes, turns his body around, and simply drops his body on top of them. Steve and the rest of the Avengers are having a hard time stifling their laughter as Tony continues to look absolutely perplexed at what’s happening. Steve takes some pity on him and makes his way over. He gives Tony a slight smirk and a raised eyebrow as he gently picks Dodger up from the floor.

“I think he just outsmarted you.”

That seems to have sobered Tony up and he grins at Steve.

“Or maybe—ya know as they say—he’s very _attuned_ to his owner’s emotions,” he says as he reaches out to scratch behind the dog's ear one last time before stepping into the elevator.

Steve, still trying to process what Tony just said to him, blinks himself out of a trance to find that the elevator doors have already closed in his face as it takes Tony to his lab.

_What?_

* * *

It’s evening when Steve returns from Dodger’s last walk for the night. He leads Dodger out of the elevator when they reach his floor. They make it through his bedroom door where Dodger has a brand-new orthopedic pet bed that he jumps on as soon as he sees it.

Steve places the leash on his dresser and makes his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed. It’s been a long day and he’s pretty exhausted with everything that’s happened today.

Once he’s done getting ready for bed, he makes sure to keep his door open in case Dodger needs a drink of water during the night. He walks over to Dodger, pets him goodnight, and walks towards his bed pulling down the covers as he climbs in. He lays down and closes his eyes.

A minute later he hears the sound of paws pattering on the floor, approaching him. He turns his head towards the sound and opens one eye just in time to see Dodger bring his face closer to his to lick him.

Steve is caught between sputtering and laughing and brings a hand over to gently move Dodger’s face from his.

“No, Dodger. You should really sleep in your own bed, c’mon.” He gets up from the bed and motions Dodger to follow him. He points at the dog bed and says, “This is where _you_ sleep, bud.”

Dodger tilts his head and looks at the bed but makes no move to get into it. Steve sighs. He could keep this up, but he’s just too exhausted.

“Fine. But just for tonight,” he says sternly. Who’s he kidding, Dodger’s going to end up owning his bed. He knows it.

He walks back to his bed and lays down for the second time tonight. He pats the empty side of the bed and Dodger follows the cue to jump on the bed and curls up next to Steve.

Steve smiles, “Goodnight, buddy.”

* * *

He’s in the cockpit of the Valkyrie. No… it’s the cockpit of the Quinjet?

He’s not sure anymore as the environment around him shifts between the old technology of the forties and the newer technology of the 21st century.

He looks ahead, ice stretches out for miles, but in the middle of it all there’s a portal and a hoard of aliens are coming out of it.

“Steve?” He hears Peggy’s distraught voice coming from the radio.

“Peggy, there’s too many of them!” he yells back as dread fills him.

“Cap! I’ve got a nuke coming in, and I know just where to put it,” Tony’s voice replaces Peggy’s on the radio, and suddenly he’s back in the Quinjet. “Tony?” Steve breathes out, and all he can do is helplessly watch the Iron Man armor fly past him underneath the belly of a nuclear missile aiming towards the portal.

Not again. _Please_.

The missile makes contact with its intended target and all Steve can see is a fiery explosion.

“NO!” Steve shouts himself awake. There’s a sound of whimpering coming from his left and something wet nudging his cheek. He turns his head towards that direction and is met with Dodger’s face staring back at him.

“Okay,” He breathes out and places a hand over his rapidly beating heart. He attempts to shake the horrible dream out of mind and takes a couple of deep breaths to bring his heart rate down. He turns his head to look out the window. It’s still dark outside.

Dodger takes the opportunity to lie his head on his chest and Steve pets him, the motion soothing both him and Dodger.

“Thanks for trying,” He murmurs.

He closes his eyes and tries to fall back to sleep.

* * *

The next time Steve awakens, it’s 7 a.m. and his bed is empty. Steve groggily gets up and looks around the bedroom. “Dodger?” He calls out.

He checks the bathroom, the bathtub, even the shower stall, and there’s no sign of Dodger anywhere. He goes and searches around the rest of his floor behind the sitting area, the drapes—he checks under the table and still comes up with nothing.

He’s trying to keep calm, but the uncertainty of Dodger’s whereabouts eats at him. He quickly runs back into the bedroom to get a change of clothes, but when he reaches his dresser, he notices that Dodger’s leash is missing.

What the fuck? He was sure he left it there last night.

“JARVIS?”

“Good morning, Captain Rogers. How may I be of assistance?”

“Do you have any idea where Dodger is?”

“He is currently in Mr. Stark’s lab.”

“I…,” he begins in confusion, “how did he even get there?”

“He took the elevator,” JARVIS says simply as if it was completely normal for a dog to know how to use an elevator.

“JARVIS, he’s a _dog_.” Steve deadpans as he pulls on a pair of sweats and begins to walk towards the elevator.

“And I am Just A Rather Very Intelligent System,” Jarvis says, almost cheerily.

Steve shakes his head at that last comment and takes the elevator down to Tony’s lab. He puts in his access code and the automatic doors slide open—and a tennis ball hits him square on the head.

“Oh, shit!”

Of course.

Picking up the tennis ball, he turns his head in the direction of where Tony’s voice was coming from, only to find him on the floor while Dodger, followed by DUM-E, runs to greet him— or he just wants the ball in his hands.

“Hey, Dodger! What have you been doing, buddy? I’ve been looking all over for you.” He kneels to pet Dodger on the head.

“The weirdest thing. He was outside my lab somewhere around 5 a.m.?” Tony starts, as he gets up from the floor, walking closer to Steve. “JARVIS said you were still sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you, so… Also, sorry about that.” He points at Steve’s forehead.

“Oh, it’s okay. Hardly felt it.”

“Of _course_ , you didn’t.”

“Would you happen to know how he got here?” Steve asks as he stands up. “I woke up and he was gone.”

“From what I could tell based on the security footage,” Tony walks over to a holographic display, “he just walked in and out of the elevator. I guess he was just lucky when he used his nose to push the bottom that got him here.”

Steve watches the video feed of Dodger doing just that and turns to look at him. Dodger stares back, his tongue happily sticking out and his tail wagging.

“Anyway, I took him out on a walk.” Tony continues, “I guess that’s what he wanted since he brought his leash with him.”

“Wait. You? Took him on a walk?” Steve raises an eyebrow in disbelief.

Tony rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, I did. It’s not exactly rocket science, Steve.”

“Sorry,” Steve gives a slight laugh. “It’s just, you barely come out of here unless it’s for food. We usually have to drag you out for team bonding nights. But here comes Dodger and you willingly put everything down to take him outside.”

“I go outside,” Tony says indignantly.

“Press junkets, missions, and galas don’t count, Tony.”

“I went outside yesterday,” He shoots back, smirking triumphantly.

“That doesn’t…” Steve stops short. “Okay. Maybe that does count.”

“Ha!”

Suddenly, Steve hears a distressed whirring sound coming from behind him. He turns to see DUM-E opening and closing his claw and lowering it towards Steve’s hand that was still holding the tennis ball.

“Oh, yeah, we were playing fetch before you came in!”

The idea of that was… very endearing to Steve. It was downright _adorable_.

“Well, I’m sorry I interrupted your game,” Steve says sheepishly to DUM-E and Dodger.

“So, uh, why don’t you and Dodger stay down here for a bit, so that they could continue their game while we figure out how to stop this little guy from leaving your floor.” Tony rubs the back of his neck, a nervous tick. There’s a hint of red on Tony’s cheeks.

_Adorable._

“Sure.” He finds himself saying before his brain catches up.

“Great!” Tony exclaims. “Also, could you make those pancakes you made for the team brunch we had two weeks ago, later?”

“You just want me around to feed you.” He sighs dramatically.

“No… I’m just very sleep deprived. You know what they say about operating heavy machinery and all of that,” he absentmindedly waves his hand around and takes a seat on the floor and Steve follows suit.

“Uh-huh. If that was the case, you’d actually go to bed at a reasonable hour instead of tinkering down here for more than half the day.”

“Really Cap, you wound me! Besides we’re talking about fixing your Dodger issue, not my admittedly unhealthy sleeping habits.”

“One day, Tony. I’ll find a way to break that habit of yours.”

“Sure, but in the meantime…” Tony grabs the tennis ball from Steve’s hand and throws it.

* * *

Nothing they came up with works in the end.

Dodger, a dog, has outsmarted Steve, a master tactician and Tony, a literal genius. They thought the first occurrence was a cosmic fluke, but Dodger keeps proving them wrong, again and again.

Practically every night, Steve goes to sleep with Dodger curled up on his bed (apparently his dog bed is just to lounge on because he never sleeps in it at all, even when Steve tries fruitlessly for an hour) and wakes up to him missing.

They’ve tried literally everything to keep Dodger from leaving Steve’s floor. They’ve set up alerts (they never went off), fences with a smart lock (Dodger probably laughed —yeah, _laughed—_ at the attempt while he _jumped_ out of the enclosure), and one night Steve even tries locking his bedroom door.

That morning, Steve wakes up to find his door open all the way.

The only constant, however, is Tony.

It seemed that no matter what, Dodger would always go to where Tony was. Whether it be the lab, the gym, or the communal floor, Dodger would always appear by Tony’s side, and Steve… Steve found himself spending more time with Tony than he ever had before.

Ultimately, they’ve given up trying to figure out how to stop Dodger from doing this. Their planning sessions have turned into Steve hanging out in Tony’s lab while the other man works on more modifications for the team’s equipment. They bounce ideas off each other, which spurs Tony’s productivity tenfold. Not that he was never productive; he just became more focused on finishing projects than scrapping what he started and starting new ones.

They even go out to lunch together. Sometimes they bring Dodger along with them to pet-friendly restaurants.

In the meantime, Steve sketched while Tony worked, and Dodger could be found curled around his feet or having DUM-E and U chase him around—or run after him. The damn dog was probably playing the bots, too. Who knows? At first, Steve sketches Dodger. He had to, it being his first dog and all. However, at some point, sketches of Dodger turn into sketches of Dodger and Tony’s bots, and then into sketches of Dodger and Tony, until ultimately, Steve finds himself drawing just Tony.

Steve sits on his bed flipping through his sketchbook, looking through the various sketches of Tony, and they aren’t just portraits. There are sketches of Tony’s expressive eyes, his lips, his hands that he used to create _magnificent_ things. There’s a sketch of his hands scratching the ears of a delighted Dodger.

 _How did it come to this_ , Steve wonders.

And it didn’t help that Tony knew how to get under his skin. He looks forward to their banter. Tony challenges him, and he enjoys the challenge.

Though sometimes he wants to kiss him to shut him up.

Actually, that’s most of the time but it’s also counterproductive because he loves to hear him talk passionately about literally anything. He loves the way he just lights up when he talks about his new inventions, talking a million miles a minute, so animated and alive.

Yeah, Steve’s got it bad, and he’s aware that there’s a big, goofy smile on his face.

Don’t even get him started on the way Tony interacts with Dodger. If it was possible to melt into a puddle of mushy goo, he wouldn’t be here right now.

Too bad Tony doesn’t like him like that.

The only reason why they started spending so much time together was because of Dodger. If Dodger hadn’t come into their lives, they would’ve continued having civil conversations as housemates and teammates but not as the friends they are now. Steve would’ve stayed the same, alone and trying to assimilate into his new life.

Not that he would ever resent Dodger for coming into his life at all. He was grateful. These past few weeks, Dodger has been there, trying to wake him up before the nightmares get worse. He comforted him through the night, almost keeping the nightmares at bay. Steve hasn’t slept this peacefully since…

Since a long time ago.

Also, Dodger has become his companion. Tony was right when he told him that he should keep Dodger, he was good for Steve.

Regardless, Tony hasn’t ever expressed any kind of interest in him beyond friendship. Sure, he flirts but he does that with everyone, even Bruce. And Steve doesn’t know where to begin to show him that he is, in fact, interested in him.

Besides, what they have now is great. Isn’t it?

If they start to become something more, the only thing that would change would be the physical aspect of their relationship. They already spend a lot of time together; they go out to eat together; watch movies alone together (Tony wanted to catch him up on the classics and said that he would take it upon himself to educate him since everyone else on the team watched them already – which Steve will soon realize that this logic was flawed because _Thor_ ); and—

“Ow! Hey! Okay, okay, I’m going! Hey, Cap! Is everything okay in here?”

Steve's thoughts come to a sudden halt. He slams his sketchbook shut just as Tony walks through his bedroom door with a confused look on his face and Dodger behind his legs, nudging them to keep him walking forward.

“Uh,” Steve coughs awkwardly. He could feel heat rushing to his face. “Tony, what are you doing here? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. I was hoping you could tell me.”

“Well, I’m okay?” He says with uncertainty.

“Oh.” Tony nods and then shifts his gaze down towards Dodger who has moved past the doorway and is now lying on the ground between them.

“Tony? What happened?” Steve raises a brow at him.

“Well, uh, okay. This is going to sound weird, which is an understatement when it comes to him, by the way,” he nods at Dodger, who begins to roll on his back, tongue sticking out, almost in glee, as if he knew Tony was talking about him. “But I was in the kitchen, right? And he shows up and starts jumping on me and starts to pull the bottom of my pants? Like he wanted me to follow him or something. And I thought that something must be going on with you because you didn’t come up with him, and now here I am,” he finishes lamely and starts to shuffle his feet. “So…”

Steve really doesn’t know what to make of anything in this exact moment because, one, Steve could have sworn that prior to all of this, Dodger was lounging on his dog bed, and two, he couldn’t tell if this really was a coincidence or purposeful, that Tony would walk in while he was thinking of him in such a way that was beyond friendship.

He gives a curious glance at Dodger but doesn’t address his suspicions because one thing is your dog being attuned to your feelings, another thing is your dog literally playing matchmaker, which sounds insane.

Even so, Steve couldn’t pass up the opportunity and says with a smug smirk, “So, you were worried about me?”

If Tony could blindside him and flirt with him out of nowhere, so could he.

“I was _not,_ ” Tony argues as pink begins to bloom on his cheeks.

“You were,” Steve says grinning. He could tell that Tony’s about to get riled up.

Tony scoffs, “Cap. I was worried about Dodger, you're obviously fine!”

“Uh-huh.”

Tony rolls his eyes before they land on the sketchbook.

“You’re always drawing in that thing. When are you finally going to show me what you’re working on?”

Steve bites his lip, contemplating. It’s not that he can’t, clearly. It’s just the various solo subject drawings of Tony that he would rather not show him.

“Never mind, Steve. You don’t have to,’ Tony says dejectedly. “Anyway, I should probably get going.”

“Wait,” Steve finds himself saying. He pats the space next to him. “C’mere, sit.”

With a renewed spark of curiosity in his eyes, Tony sits down next to Steve, leaning in close to peer over his shoulder. Steve is hyperaware of the warmth that he brings with him, and he wants to bask in it, hold him.

Shaking his head from these distracting thoughts, Steve opens his sketchbook to the first few pages, presenting Tony with his initial sketches of Dodger. Tony stares at them in awe, the occasional comment of praise leaving his lips, making Steve blush. This is personal, and it was time that he shared this part of himself with Tony.

Tony becomes excited when he sees that Steve had drawn his bots along with Dodger. Tony points at a particular drawing of Dodger and DUM-E playing a game of tug-of-war, or what was close to one, laughingly saying, “Oh my god, this is gold! We need to frame that. They’re so competitive.”

There’s an indescribable feeling that Steve gets when Tony easily used _we_.

However, he suddenly becomes nervous because he knows what’s coming next.

When he turns the last page of his sketches of Dodger and Tony’s bots, he could feel heat crawl through the back of his neck all the way to the tip of his ears. He keeps his gaze firmly locked on the sketch before him.

But the gasp that Tony lets out makes him look at him sharply.

It shouldn’t be such a big deal, really. It’s a simple sketch of Tony on his knees with Dodger sitting across from him, tongue sticking out and both of Tony’s hands outstretched, scratching behind his ears. He’s smiling. It’s something so mundane and normal, so Steve can’t help but not understand why Tony reacted this way.

Tony breaks the silence. “Is that really me?” he asks in a small voice, not taking his eyes away from the drawing.

Steve furrows his brows at him.

“Tony, of course, it’s you.” He says earnestly.

“No one has ever drawn me like this. Actually, no one has ever drawn me, period. I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around the way you did.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s... _beautiful_ ,” Tony says breathlessly, and Steve is floored.

 _But you are beautiful_ , he wants to say to him. _And I will show you every day. I promise._

But instead he says, “This is exactly how I see you, Tony.” It’s close enough. He clears his throat and tears his eyes away from him. “So, I’m not done with the rest of these, but when the time comes, I’ll show you. Deal?”

“Deal.” He says warmly.

* * *

Steve wakes up to his phone ringing shrilly in his ear.

“Hello?’ He groggily answers.

“Hey, Cap. I’m going to need you to come up to my room.” He hears Tony say on the other end.

“Tony it’s,” he checks his bedside clock, “5 a.m. What’s going on?”

“Are you missing a certain someone by any chance?”

Steve’s fully awake now. He shoots up into a sitting position and looks around to see if he could spot Dodger anywhere in his room even though he knows he’s not there. He looks towards his bedroom door, which he kept closed but unlocked last night and finds it wide open.

“What did he do?” He asks, almost dreading the response.

“Steve,” Tony starts almost dramatically, “I woke up to him on my bed. _Cuddling_ me.”

Steve opens his mouth to reply, but no words come out as his brain begins to catch up to what Tony just said to him. Instead, he bursts out laughing

“Oh, yeah, laugh it up, big guy,” Tony says attempting to sound annoyed but failing. Steve can hear him grinning through the phone, trying to keep himself from joining Steve in laughing.

Steve tries to control himself and says, “Well, I guess he’s yours for the night.”

“Ha-ha, very funny,” Tony says. “Can you come up here and get this troublemaker? He won’t get off me and I’ve tried pushing him off.”

Steve sighs.

“Give me a few minutes.”

Steve makes his way up to Tony’s floor, walks through the living space and stops in front of his bedroom door that was left slightly ajar.

“I know you’re out there! You can come in, y’know.” He could hear Tony call out from behind the door. Steve pushes the door open and is met with the sight of Tony laying on his stomach and Dodger draped across his back.

“You really couldn’t push him off?”

“I tried! He keeps climbing on top of me.”

Steve shakes his head.

“Alright Dodger, c’mon. Time to go,” he says as he tries to pull his dog off of Tony. Dodger groans and lets himself be pushed off, but as soon as Steve lets go of him, he scrambles to get back on top of Tony.

“Oof!” Tony’s voice is muffled by the pillow underneath him.

“Dodger,” Steve begins sternly. He hates doing this, “let’s go.”

Dodger whimpers but makes a move to get off of Tony, he looks so sad.

“I’m sorry buddy, but we gotta let Tony sleep.”

Dodger lets out another sad whimper in response.

“You guys could...” Tony begins hesitantly, looking at them with an indiscernible expression “just stay the night? I mean, it’s not really a big deal and there’s plenty of room for the three of us.”

Steve looks at him in shock, unsure of what to make of his suggestion.

“I mean… look, he obviously doesn’t want to leave. And it’s a big bed. Um, it could be like a sleepover?” Tony says sheepishly.

Steve gives a slight chuckle, “A sleepover?”

“Shut up. I’m just saying that it’s not weird or anything,” Tony shrugs nonchalantly.

Steve caves because sure, why not? What could possibly go wrong?

Tony motions for Dodger to join him on the bed as Steve walks around to the other side and lays down. His thoughts are going a hundred miles a minute and his stomach flutters because this is what he always wanted. But it’s not real.

They’re laying there in silence with Dodger in between them. Steve is stock still. He wants to get closer since this is definitely the only chance he’ll ever get to sleep in the same bed as Tony, but he can’t. They’re just friends. It’s probably for the best that he doesn’t get a taste of the closeness he craves. He’s not sure he’d be able to go back to sleeping alone.

His hands still itch to touch him.

* * *

“Wake up, Steve.”

Steve stirs to a hand softly rubbing his back. He can feel Dodger gently licking at his hand as his eyes scan the unfamiliar room and he suddenly remembers that he’s in Tony’s bedroom. He turns to face Tony, who’s looking at him with open concern.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the nightmares?”

Steve shifts his gaze down, not wanting to meet his eyes, “I didn’t want to burden you with that.”

Tony frowns, “You could have come to me, anyway. We’re friends, I could have been there for you.”

Steve doesn’t know what to say, but he watches Tony’s expression shift into one of determination, like he’s made up his mind about something.

Tony reaches forward attempting to gather the other man in his arms. Steve can’t resist the pull of being close to Tony and the comfort of being held, so he goes along with it. He presses his face against Tony’s chest, where the arc reactor emits a warm glow through the soft, black cotton of Tony’s tank top and brings his arm up to clutch tightly at Tony’s waist.

Steve takes a deep breath and sighs as he listens to the sound of Tony’s heart beating. It begins to soothe him so he closes his eyes and tries to match his breathing with Tony’s while the other man runs his fingers through Steve’s hair.

“Thank you, Tony,” he murmurs and drifts off into a peaceful sleep surrounded by the two things he loves most in the world.

* * *

Of course, that peaceful slumber doesn’t last because that’s not how Steve’s life works. JARVIS wakes them up a few hours later.

“Sir? Captain Rogers?”

Steve hears Tony groan underneath him.

“What is it, JARVIS?”Tony asks, voice laden with sleep.

“There’s currently a chemically induced fire in the city that emergency personnel can’t seem to control and they require the Avengers’ assistance for evacuation immediately.”

“Alright, wake up the rest of the team and tell them to assemble in the hanger in five.”

Even though Steve knows that these people need their help, he feels reluctant to let go. But he does, squeezing Tony ever so slightly before doing so and trying to commit the feeling of Tony waking up next to him, warm and rumpled, to memory.

This won’t ever happen again, he thinks sadly.

He looks back at Tony and sees the same sadness reflected in his eyes. There are lots of things that Steve wants to say to him before they go, things that he thinks he’s ready to admit. But instead, he nods and says, "I’ll see you up there.”

“Yeah.”

Without looking back, Steve leaves Tony’s room to suit up, wishing, more than anything, that he could go back.

* * *

For the most part, the evacuation goes smoothly.

They manage to rescue all of the civilians, but Steve wants to make sure that the building is clear. He rushes back in through the billowing black smoke and scorching heat, debris and pieces of rubble falling around him.

He could hear Tony yelling at him through the comms ordering him to come back.

“Cap, get the fuck out of there! That building is going to collapse any minute!”

Just a few more seconds, that’s all he needs.

Suddenly, the ominous sound of groaning metal comes from above him and Steve looks up just in time to see the ceiling collapsing in on him. He attempts to jump out of the way, but it’s too late. He’s caught underneath it and he feels, what must be, a support beam fall on his back.

Steve groans as excruciating pain shoots all over his body. The smoke is making his eyes water and he feels it filling up his lungs as he gasps for nonexistent, clean air.

“STEVE?! GODDAMNIT, ANSWER ME!” He hears Tony scream in desperation.

He tries to respond, he really does, but the weight of the rubble, the ash, and soot is all too much and his vision goes dark.

* * *

Steve rouses to a dull feeling of pain and the sound of monitors beeping. He can make out a voice talking.

“Your owner is a big, dumb, blonde, idiot. A _self-sacrificing_ , big, dumb, blonde, idiot.”

Steve hears a groan in response.

“I’m sorry, but he is! Look at him, jumping head-first into burning buildings like that and scaring the shit out of me in the process. Honestly! Fuck you, Rogers,” his voice cracks at the end of his sentence.

A sad whimper follows.

Steve recognizes Dodger’s vocalizations and of course the voice is Tony, it’s always Tony. But why does he sound so upset?

“I told him not to go in there. I told him that the building was compromised and that it could collapse at any minute, but did he listen to me? No!”

Oh, he’s definitely in for it, he knows he is.

“I had to go in there and get him, and see him lying unconscious and bloody under a mountain of rubble…” Tony sighs deeply to himself. “When are you going to get it through your thick head that we need you? _I_ need you,” Tony says wetly.

Steve feels his pulse quicken at Tony’s last statement. And now he can hear it as his heart monitor starts beeping rapidly.

“Steve?! Shit!”

Steve finally makes a move to sit up, groaning at the strain that puts on his abdomen. He tries to clear his throat to speak, but that triggers a harrowing cough. Tony is at his side in an instant, one hand supporting his back and the other holding a glass of water up to Steve’s lips.

“Drink,” he says firmly.

Steve relishes the soothing feeling of the water washing away the taste of ash. He tries again to open his mouth and talk, but Tony takes the glass away from him and gently places a hand on his chest to push him back down.

“You need to lay down, Cap. Your body is still recovering.”

“No, wait. Tony, I’m fine,” Steve insists. He’s about to say something else but Tony cuts him off with a glare.

“Seriously?! You’re _fine_?” He scoffs in disbelief. “Do you know how many times you say that when I know you’re really not? God, Steve.” Tony starts pacing and Steve takes a quick glance at Dodger who stares back at him before lowering his body onto the ground with a small growl.

Great, even Dodger’s upset with him.

“ _You_ ,” Tony rounds back on him, his expressive eyes shining. “Drive me crazy. Literally. What the fuck was that back there? I told you that the building could collapse at any minute and you just didn’t listen. Why can’t you follow a single goddamn order for once in your life?”

“Tony,” Steve interjects, “I had to make sure there weren’t any civilians left—”

“I’m in love with you!” Tony yells, almost hysterically, “And I can’t fucking lose you, _okay_?”

“W-wait. You’re in love with me?” Steve asks in shock, trying to wrap his mind around the other man’s words. “How? _Why?_ You could have... _anyone_.”

Tony looks up as if urging a certain not so mythical Norse god to strike him down right then and there.

“Of course, I’m fucking in love with you, you absolute moron,” He splutters, crossing his arms against his chest like he’s trying to protect himself. “I’ve _been_ in love with you for a while now. Hence, all of those lunch dates and the million other excuses I made up to spend more time with you. But, I guess I never really made that clear. Also, why would I want anyone else when you’re _you_? You're incredible in every imaginable way and I just want to be wherever you are. You kind of filled this void that I didn’t even realize I had. And there’s the way you make me feel. And your drawing of me, the way you see me, I just—”

Steve shoots out a hand and fists the front of Tony’s shirt, dragging him forward to press their lips together in a bruising kiss. It takes Tony a few seconds to react, but when he does, he melts into the kiss, bringing his hands up to cradle Steve’s face between them. _Finally,_ Steve thinks as he breaks them apart for a moment, snaking a hand behind Tony’s neck to tug him forward touching their foreheads together. He looks deeply into those big, beautiful, brown eyes he loves so much and says, “I’m in love with you too.”

A small laugh escapes Tony, “Yeah?”

Steve doesn’t respond, he just smiles, nods, and their lips meet once more.

Neither of them notice Dodger trot out of the medical bay.

* * *

“Hawkeye, status?”

Natasha sits on one of the couches in the communal floor with Bruce and Thor as they wait for Clint to report back. From the other side of the room, the elevator dings and out walks Dodger, tail happily wagging behind him. Natasha motions him to come forward and he runs up to her, climbs onto the couch and lays his head on her lap.

“Who’s a smart dog?” She coos as she gives him those behind the ear scratches she knows are his favorite.

“Truly an intelligent animal,” Thor booms, feeding Dodger a piece of Pupperony Jerky.

“I still can’t believe this plan actually might have worked,” Bruce adds from the other end of the coach.

“Well, we still have to thank this little guy for coming into their lives in the first place. And JARVIS, for operating the doors and elevators, and messing with Tony’s security feed.”

“It was my pleasure, Agent Romanoff.”

“Let’s not forget the many containers of that earthly delicacy,” Thor boasts.

“Do you mean the trails of peanut butter we had to strategically place to lure Dodger around?” Bruce asks, laughing.

“Yeah, but at a certain point, we didn’t need to use it anymore. He knows his dads,” Natasha smirks. “And, he must have been tired of watching them dance around each other for weeks. I know we were.”

A sound of static comes through the earpiece in her ear.

“I can officially confirm that they are indeed making out in the medical bay, and they’re being _really_ gross about it,” Clint gags.

“At long last! We must celebrate!” Thor cheers.

“Hold on there, big guy,” says Bruce.

“I will be acquiring the Asgardian mead.” Thor rushes off of the couch with Bruce right on his heels.

“Alright, Clint. Come back before you need to bleach your eyes.”

“Honestly, ‘Tasha? It’s too late. Tell Thor I need five fingers of that mead, I’d like to blackout now.”

Natasha rolls her eyes, smirking at that.

* * *

Steve wakes up slowly, feeling well-rested. There’s a light weight on his chest and a long line of warmth by his side. He feels hair tickling the side of his face and a leg intertwined with his.

It’s so peaceful, he wants to wake up like this every day.

Sighing deeply, Steve opens his eyes and sees Tony’s disheveled bedhead, his arm curled around the other man’s chest with a hand resting gently over his sternum. Steve smiles and tightens his hold around Tony’s waist.

“Not that I’m not enjoying this, darling. But, if you’re feeling better I think we should move to a _much_ bigger bed. Mine’s free, by the way, and far more comfortable.”

“Mmm. Yeah, you’re right,” Steve looks into Tony’s beautiful eyes. “Although, I think you fit perfectly right here.”

“Did you seriously make a joke about me being smaller than you?” Tony pouts.

“Cute and _tiny_.”

“Okay. Yup, it’s time for me to get up and go.”

“I’d like to see you try to let go of me first,” he shoots back, knowing fully well that Tony doesn’t intend to do so.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to keep me here.”

“Well, it’s not hard to do when you aren’t even trying to leave.”

Tony’s eyes narrow slightly, and before he knows it Tony is looming on top of him, legs on either side of his waist, hands pinning his shoulders to the bed. There’s a devilish smirk on his face.

Steve breathes sharply as heat pools low in his stomach. Tony leans down slowly, closing the distance between their lips with a kiss full of desire. Steve grabs onto Tony’s hips with the full intention of flipping them both around, but fate has other plans.

The shrill sound of a cell phone ringer goes off making the two men jump apart.

Steve and Tony look at each other with lingering heat, reluctant to let go. Tony sighs and gets off first and Steve sits up on the bed as he watches Tony walk towards the source of the ringing.

Tony glances down at the screen and looks back at him, stricken.

Uncertainty curls in the pit of Steve’s stomach, but he still brings himself to ask, “Tony, who is it?”

“It’s the vet,” he says as he walks back towards the bed and sits down. He hands Steve his phone with worried eyes.

Steve takes a hold of Tony’s hand and squeezes. He takes a deep breath and answers the call, “Hello?”

“Good Morning, Captain Rogers? It’s Dr. Panetta, the vet that looked over Dodger?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Okay, good. How’s Dodger doing?”

“Oh, he’s great. He’s doing well over here, with us.”

“That’s perfect, let me just cut to the chase, then. The reason why I’m calling is because a month has already passed, and I just wanted you to know that no one has claimed Dodger as theirs at the shelter. So, therefore he’s officially-”

“He’s officially mine,” Steve finishes for her breathlessly.

“Yes! I’m sure you’re relieved to hear the good news. I hope that nothing has changed with your decision to keep him?”

“No, nothing’s changed. I’m very happy with him,” He says smiling at Tony.

“I’m glad to hear it! Well, I wish you and Dodger the best. I hope you have a nice day!”

“Thank you! You, too,” he hangs up and turns back to Tony. “Y’know, I forgot about those conditions before she called.”

“Yeah, so did I,” Tony laughs with a hint of relief. “But, hey! He’s yours now.”

“He’s _ours_.”

Crinkles form at the edge of Tony’s eyes as he smiles deeply at Steve, and Steve returns that smile with full force. That is, until Tony’s smile freezes and a curious look appears on his face, realization hitting him.

“Hey, Steve. Where _is_ Dodger?”

Groaning in exasperation, Steve brings his head down to hold it between his hands as Tony drapes an arm around his shoulders and kisses his temple before bursting into laughter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
